Have you found or lost a bike?

Update: The found bike below has been reunited with its owner! But keep reading to learn how to register your bike and check SPD’s list of recovered bikes.

We discovered an abandoned bike on our street this morning. Meanwhile, neighbors around the corner reported their bike stolen from the back porch. I sent over a picture, but it’s not the same bike! What are the odds? Well, pretty high, probably. KING 5 reports there are 200 bikes still unclaimed in SPD evidence warehouse. If you’re very recently missing a large black bike, get in touch with me, but if you’re missing a different bike, scroll through SPD’s @GetYourBikeBack twitter feed to see if they’ve got it.

I checked Bike Index with its serial number and then just description to see if this bike was registered and/or reported stolen, but it didn’t turn up. Hey, while you’re looking at Bike Index, register your bike. Your serial number is probably stamped on the bottom bracket (the part the pedal cranks stick out of) and you’ll want a flashlight to read it. This abandoned bike also had a sticker with the serial number at the bottom of the seat tube, so it turns out I didn’t have to lay in my dusty driveway, iPhone flashlight clenched in my teeth to see the stamped-in version. Snap a picture of your bike (optional) after you dust yourself off and you’re all set for registration. Registering your bike online is free, by the way.

“My” found abandoned bike is a size large, with a sticker that says it’s for riders of height 5’10” to 6’1″, but the seat is low enough that it fit my 5’5″. It has two flat tires which leads me to believe it was grabbed from a yard or porch and abandoned when it was deemed an unfit getaway vehicle. I phoned the City of Seattle Abandoned Bicycles hotline (684-7583) and left a message to ask where I should bring it, but it’s with me for the time being. If you think it might be yours, comment below to get in touch. Also comment below if you’ve recently found the bike that may have come from around the corner. Thanks!

Wallyhood is dedicated to fostering community and communication in the Wallingford neighborhood. A group of volunteer editors rotate the responsibility of managing the site, and we welcome stories from all our neighbors.

This week’s editor is ​Jack McLaughlin. You can contact the editor-of-the-week at [email protected].

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